WASHINGTON - Some U.S. residents are having problems with the United Nation's recent list of sites around the world to be nominated for U.N. World Heritage Sites.

The Washington Times reported Sunday that particularly in the United States, designation of a site as a landmark has been seen as a tool by environmentalists, resulting in the halting of economic growth in some areas.

"It's an international approach that radical environmentalists have used to block mining in Australia, Russia and the U.S.," said Steven Borell, director of the Alaska Miners Association.

The mining association reportedly protested new land designations in letters to Congress last month, citing past cases where authorities are believed to have meddled in domestic land-use and mining policies.

Although the list of nominations to the National Park Service contains 36 sites, only 16 to 20 will reportedly make it onto the final cut. In all, there are 830 designated sites worldwide.

The Times reported that national parks expected to make the list in the next 10 years include Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota, White Sands National Monument in New Mexico and Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, among others.